The Dark Side of the Spotlight
by Vanilla Secrets
Summary: Because show business isn't just about the glitz, the glamour, and the fame. It's more than what meets the eye. Prologue: She lives her dream, at last. Or, does she?


**Disclaimer: **Heh.

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><p><strong>Dear You<strong>

**Prologue: **The Song

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><p>She is living her dream.<p>

Here she is, standing quite nervously at one of the side entrances of the stage inside the famous Tokyo Dome, hearing the patriotic cheers of the people looking up to her, screaming her well-known name.

"Mikan! Mikan! Mikan!"

Mikan Sakura is living her dream.

She heaves a sigh. Really, she loved singing for her fans—it has become a thing she sees herself enjoying—but somehow, she can't help but feel slightly uneasy. It is her every first concert, her very first time to sing her own songs in front of more than fifty thousand people. Yes, she is famous, renowned, and is used to perform in front of a large crowd already. But hey, she _is _human, and humans are capable of having feelings of anxiety.

Yes, she _has _feelings.

And he didn't even give a damn about that fact.

She feels a soft pat on her left shoulder, and she turns her head, landing her eyes on her best friend, her violet eyes gleaming with encouragement and supporting. "You can do this."

She smiled in return. It is her best friend who has been with her through all those tough times. "Thanks, Hotaru."

Then she sets her eyes again on the vacant stage, hearing again the cheers of her fans. Clutching her seven-year-old guitar, she takes steady steps on the spacious platform, letting herself be seen by the crowd. Banners and streamers are immediately flashed, cheers gradually grow louder, more people stand up to make an applause, more people yell her name.

"Mikan! Mikan! Mikan!"

She waves her arm and smiles. She grabs the microphone standing at the center of the stage and exclaims an enthusiastic greeting. "Good evening, everyone!"

People bellow fervently.

"Welcome to my This Is Where It Starts concert! I hope you're all having a great time!"

People cheered in reply, waving their banners and continuing their ovation of support. She smiles once again, brushing all those thoughts of painful memories away.

Because she, Mikan Sakura, is finally living her dream.

"It's very overwhelming to receive such great support from you, guys, from buying my albums, to listening to my songs, and many, many more, and I'm more than grateful for all those blessings. I wouldn't be here doing this concert if it weren't for you all. For that, I express my deepest gratitude. Thank you so much."

The audience roars into a round of applause.

"So for you, guys, I'm going to sing one of the tracks in my new album. It's entitled 'Dear John'. It's a song I wrote months ago about… what I felt when something unpleasant happened in my life. It's a pretty sad song, honestly. But I hope you enjoy nonetheless!"

The crowd still cheers and claps in eagerness. Somewhat relieved about it, she straps in her guitar and starts to strum the first notes of the song, the song that indirectly speaks of the things she had gone throughout her stay in show business.

And unintentionally, those things start to flood her mind once more.

_Long were the nights when my days once revolved around you  
>Counting my footsteps praying the floor won't fall through again<br>And my mother accused me of losing my mind  
>But I swore I was fine<em>

_You paint me a blue sky and go back and turn it to rain_  
><em>And I lived in your chess game, but you changed the rules everyday<em>  
><em>Wondering which version of you I might get on the phone tonight<em>  
><em>Well, I stopped picking up and this song is to let you know why<em>

_Dear John, I see it all now that you're gone_  
><em>Don't think I was too young to be messed with?<em>  
><em>The girl in the dress cried the whole way home<em>  
><em>I should've known<em>

Unconsciously, those heart-wrenching memories start to replay again, making her close her eyes, making her remember and feel again the pain she is supposed to forget for the moment.

_Well, maybe it's just me and my blind optimism to blame  
>Or maybe it's you and your sick need to give love then take it away<br>And you'll add my name to your long list of traitors who don't understand  
>And I'll look back and regret how I ignored when they said run as fast as you can<em>

_Dear John, I see it all now that you're gone  
>Don't you think I was too young to be messed with?<em>_  
>The girl in the dress cried the whole way home<em>

_Dear John, I see it all now it was wrong_  
><em>Don't you think nineteen's too young to be played with?<em>  
><em>Your dark twisted games when I loved you so<em>  
><em>I should've known<em>

Her eyes remained closed as she strums her guitar in lieu to those meaningful lyrics while deep in thought, reminiscing those overflowing feelings she felt through those times, which but all led to one negative one: pain.

_You are an expert at sorry and keeping lines blurry  
>Never impressed by me acing your tests<br>All the girls that you've run dry have tired, lifeless eyes  
>'Cause you've burn them out<em>

_But I took your matches before fire could catch me_  
><em>So don't look now<em>  
><em>I'm shining like fireworks over<em>  
><em>Your sad, empty town<em>

She releases her guitar from her hold, holding the microphone firmly as she sings the song that spoke it all.

_Dear John, I see it all now that you're gone  
>Don't you think I was too young to be messed with?<br>The girl in the dress cried the whole way home_

_Dear John, I see it all now it was wrong  
>Don't you think nineteen's too young to be played with?<br>The girl in the dress wrote you a song  
>You should've known<em>

_You should've known_  
><em>Don't you think I was too young?<em>  
><em>You should've known<em>

Tokyo Dome then is filled with applauses and loud praises from the fans of the most sought-after pop and country artist of their generation, who just finished off the last note.

But then, there that said singer is, still standing on the big stage, head down low, reminiscing the happenings, the emotions, and the man who made her write that composition on one gloomy night.

She never wished for all of those. She can desire for anything, but not the horrid things.

And so she thought. Is she, Mikan Sakura, really living her dream?

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><p><strong>AN: **My first attempt at drama, guys! Haha. I hope I pulled it off, somehow.

I'd like to know what you thought after reading this chap, though. :) Please review!


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